The Clerk of Zimbabwe's parliament is expected to swear in
elected parliamentarians today (Monday) ahead of the election of parliament
speaker for the first time since the controversial March 29
presidential elections. Both
factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have presented
their candidates to vie for the position of speaker of parliament, while the
ruling ZANU-PF party is yet to present its candidate. However, some Zimbabweans
are reportedly expressing concerns that President Robert Mugabe's government
would have the upper hand on who becomes the speaker by preventing opposition parliamentarians
who are in hiding for fear of being arrested after various forms of allegations
were leveled against them.

Glen
Mpani is the regional coordinator for the transitional justice
program of the Center for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in Cape
Town, South Africa. He tells reporter Peter Clottey that today's swearing in
could deepen the political crisis.

"The members of parliament
are going to be sworn in by the clerk of parliament and Mugabe is going to
convene parliament on Tuesday when he is going to open the seventh session of
parliament. My take on the opening of parliament is that it just shifts the
unresolved conflict of Zimbabwe to parliament where we are going to have the
three contending parties using parliament as the way of extending the
unresolved issues that SADC (Southern African Development Community) has failed
to resolve in the negotiation," Mpani
noted.

He
said the MDC is not significantly opposed to Monday's swearing in of
parliament.

"I
think what the MDC is saying, that is the Morgan Tsvangirai formation, is that
one, it is not against the swearing in of parliament, but it is against the
reconvening of parliament on the basis that it violates the memorandum of
understanding. And the Mutambara formation MDC is saying no it is consistent
with what they agreed on and that it was part of the SADC communiqué," he said.

Mpani
said the opposition sees the need to have its candidate to be new speaker of
parliament.

"Like
any other process where members of parliament are going to be sworn in, it is
on that day that they choose the speaker of parliament. And for them not to
forward an individual for speaker ship or to be the speaker of parliament I
think they basically realize that they would be loosing an opportunity in which
they can control the agenda and the events that are going to be taking place in
parliament. Hence, they see the issue of forwarding speaker ship as very
critical and important," Mpani pointed out.

He
described as unfortunate the indecision and lack of message coordination by the
MDC at the ongoing negotiations.

"What
is important about all these issues is that the MDC I think the Tsvangirai
formation for the past week they have been sending this mixed signal regarding
the convening of parliament. Listening to different messages coming from the
president and the secretary general and the acting spokesperson of the MDC,
they have not been consistent on that. And if you look at the message coming
from the Mutambara formation is that they are quite clear that they are going
to participate in parliament. Despite all those mixed signals that are coming
up, what is important in all these things is that how they are going to be
managing the dynamics in terms of ensuring that they have got the speaker of
parliament. And also see who is going to come up with their candidate being the
speaker of parliament," he said.

Mpani
said Zimbabweans would have to choose, which party's candidate would best
represent their interest.

"I think the dynamics for itself are now quite
clear, as the Mutambara formation has position itself heavily inclined towards
the ZANU-PF. For whatever reason they have, I think whatever is going to happen
is going to fortify the public perception that they have been swallowed on they
are working with ZANU-PF and unfortunately that is going to erode their
political standing. And secondly that is going to dent the image of them
(Mutambara faction of MDC) representing a certain section of Zimbabwe that
ideally from Matabeleland would not want to be inclined to ZANU-PF," Mpani
pointed out.